Serial Saturday

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This week for Serial Saturday I’m back with the second set of chapters in Rhaegar’s first novel. It’s Azarinth Healer Chapters 10-18 by Rhaegar!

Plot: The plot moves on pretty quickly and we finally get to see Ilea really put her powers into action against things other than Drakes. And it’s quite a blast to read. That’s all I’ll say, because if you enjoyed the story up to here, this set of chapters isn’t going to change that opinion.

Characters: We get to meet a few new characters in this set of chapters, but my favorite is Ellie easily. That being said Ilea is still the star of the show and I can’t say that it’s a bad thing since she’s such a fun character.

Overall: A fun and very good set of chapters in this series written by a complete amateur.

This week for Serial Saturday I’m back with another series I got asked to review by it’s author. It’s Azeal Neralum by Kazi.

Plot: Let me get this out of the way, I would normally have never bothered with reading this series, and I must have either missed the Grimdark genre tag or it was added after I had bookmarked it as a potential series to read. Either way I find the overly dark nature of the “genre” usually makes stories I tend to despise. Azeal Neralum isn’t an exception to my distaste. I honestly don’t enjoy the overly dark fantasy epic craze that’s seem to come up in the past decade. Even one of my most adored series, Mistborn, is a bit too dark for me. While I’ve read the entire thing once, I probably won’t ever do that again due to that darkness. However other than the tone there are other serious issues I have with Azeal Neralum. Mainly the constant switching of points of view that is happening, and the lack of forward progress with regards to the main character. I don’t care about some random fort getting slaughtered, what does it have to do with the main character? If the answer to that question is “nothing” in the next 30 chapters I’ve just wasted my time reading extraneous world building that could’ve been experienced through the main characters point of view instead.

Characters: Azeal is a mediocre main character, he’s got nothing extremely likable about him that makes me interested in him as a character and the rest of the cast is just as bad. It’s even worse with the most recent chapters that the author wrote. I don’t give a rat’s ass about some “hero” or gallant general that is dying if he’s being introduced out of the blue and has no noticeable connection with the protagonist. If I had met that character 100 chapters before and grew attached to him I might feel a bit of sympathy over his death, but the way the author the author brings up these characters out of the blue is more than a bit annoying.

Grammar: The grammar is okay, but the writing itself seems off. I can’t put it into words much better than it feels just a bit wrong when I read it. Either the way the author writes is grating on my internal sense of how a book is supposed to read, or the issue is something else, but I just find it’s “flow” to be not pleasing to the eye.

Overall: If for some reason you love dark fantasy, Azeal Neralum might be up your alley after a few editing passes have been done by the author. Otherwise steer clear of this.

Plot: The plot is pretty great, and considering that the author states upfront that he’s a complete amateur it’s refreshingly well written. It is a LitRPG mixed with Isekai elements, but don’t expect our hero to be going off to slay demon lords to save the world. I won’t spoil it, but it’s a very fun read and these first few chapters are a great start.

Characters: We really only get to meet Ilea in these first few chapters, and that’s okay as she’s quirky and intelligent and very much a badass. The cast does fill out later on.

Grammar: The grammar is very well done, and given that the author went through the trouble of revising their errors out of the early chapters is a very good sign for the longevity of the series, at least in my opinion.

This week for Serial Saturday I’m back with a series that just had it’s first volume published. It’s Siphon Chapters 1-36 by Jay Boyce!

Plot: The plot is pretty great, and while it’s nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary it is a fun read. It reminds me of series like Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, in that it’s more Slice of Life than anything action oriented. That isn’t to say there aren’t action parts, but they are few and far between. The plot starts off a little slow, and Jade our main character is apt to break out in song which can be a little grating, but given her background I don’t find it super annoying.

Characters: The entire cast is pretty awesome, but Jade our lead is definitely the star of the show. My favorite side character is either Camille or Stephen, but I’ve got a hard time choosing which.

Overall: A fun and lighter read than some of the LitRPG series out there in the English market so far. If you enjoy Slice of Life Siphon will be an awesome choice.

Hey all I’m back with a series the author of Our Chaoz; Our Reality requested me to review. It’s The Dragon Within Book 01 by SlyOkami!

Plot: The plot is a lot darker than OC:OR, and while that’s a good thing for a lot of readers I don’t particularly enjoy it all that much myself. This is a personal issue that ties into my own psyche and how I immerse myself into stories I enjoy. Frankly while the story is quite good in my opinion, I won’t be continuing with the series until it’s finished as I’m hoping for a happy ending to the entire story. One thing I will say is that this series takes place in the same universe as OC:OR so some things will be familiar for those who read that series.

Characters: Our main character is Erik, and he’s a bit of an asshole at the beginning of the story. By the end of this first book I actually enjoyed him as a character. However my favorite character is probably Thea, because she’s got very good depth as a character and I enjoy her personality and what she does for Erik. The rest of the cast is equally good as well, but for me the stars are Thea and Erik.

Grammar: There are occasional small issues, but for the most part this is easily readable and not hard on the eyes at all like some of the other stuff you’ll find online written by novice authors.

Overall: A good book, and series. If you enjoyed the darker parts of Our Chaoz; Our Reality you’ll love The Dragon Within.

For those who like: Fantasy, Magic, Dragons, Great Plot, Awesome Characters, Good Grammar.

This week for Serial Saturday I’m back with the fourth set of chapters in Anton’s adventures. It’s Atros Imperium Chapters 22-31 by Terry!

Plot Synopsis: Having defeated the leader of the band of Yellow Goblins that have been attacking Atros, Anton and Verona are now preparing to set out to a neighboring city to get much needed supplies, and hopefully new residents for Atros. But all is not as it seems and the path to Maxill is not a peaceful one…

Plot: This could be considered the start of Volume 2 of Atros Imperium, and it’s a nice break from the constant worry that the previous chapters have brought to Anton and us as readers. That being said, with the world expanding for us and Anton, we are learning a lot more about why things went the way the did in Kar.

Characters: We get introduced to a bunch of new faces in this set of chapters, but my favorite is easily Kal. As for why, you’ll have to read the chapters to find out. The new faces are all interesting and pretty good though.

Overall: A solid and fun set of chapters that broadens our view of the world Anton finds himself in.

This week for Serial Saturday I’m back with the seventh set of chapters in Rainer and co.’s adventures. It’s Arcane Emperor Chapters 40-46 by Aternus!

Plot Synopsis: Having defeated the Arch-Lich in the fallen city of Nalmar and brining his friends back despite the interference of a Divinity, Rainer is now ready to tackle more of challenges in the North, in particular the Fae. However the Fae Queen has plans of her own in order to take back Luna from the new Archon…

Plot: This is a fun set of chapters, as it shows how much impact Rainer’s new classes have.

Characters: We get a whole bunch of new faces in this set of chapters, but my favorite newcomer is probably Elru.